Seigaku Ranking Results
by speadee
Summary: The June Intraschool Ranking Tournament resulted in more than just the selection of regulars for the Kantou Tournament. Many of the results were problems. How did the Seigaku Tennis Club face them?
1. Chapter 1

**Seigaku Ranking Results**

**Genre**: Friendship/Family  
**Rating**: K+ or PG  
**Spoilers**: Episodes 50-61, Genius 114-160  
**Pairings**: none  
**Summary**: The June Intra-school Ranking Tournament resulted in more than just the selection of regulars for the Kantou Tournament. Some of it was bad news. How did the Seigaku Tennis Club face the results?  
**Disclaimer**: _Prince of Tennis_ is created by Takeshi Konomi. I do not own it.

**Author's note**:  
This is my first fanfic. I am only writing for enjoyment. NO FLAMING allowed!

I have added a companion fic to this story. It is titled _Seigaku Ranking Journals_, a story about the thoughts, emotions, and reactions of the characters towards the Seigaku June Intra-school Ranking Tournament.

Beware of SPOILERS for Episodes 50-61 and Genius 114-160! The 1st chapter contains spoilers for Episodes 50-53 and Genius 114-118.

Sorry for the OOC parts. The general story idea came to me, but the details were not easy to figure out. Besides, in Episodes 52-53 and Genius 114-118, a few characters weren't themselves.

* * *

Chapter 1

Inui Sadaharu of the Seishun Gakuen (Seigaku) Tennis Club was under great pressure. Just one more point, and he would be leading 5-3, bringing him closer to defeating Captain Tezuka Kunimitsu, a goal that had evaded him for at least two years and two months.

Unfortunately, the Seigaku Tennis Club captain had brought the game to a deuce before alerting him, "Now Inui… the game hasn't ended yet."

It was the final match of the June Intra-school Ranking Tournament, and the data tennis player realized that his shots were disobeying him as Tezuka awed the audience with a skill beyond jr. high level. The brown-haired, bespectacled stoic captain was standing and pivoting on one spot as he controlled the rotation of the tennis balls with his Tezuka Zone.

The rest of the tennis club, along with Coach Ryuzaki Sumire and the Monthly Pro Tennis reporters, continued to enjoy the dual between those two third-year students until the referee called out, "Game and match to Tezuka! 6-4!"

Meanwhile, a new ex-regular with black spiked hair and purple eyes had been standing dejectedly away from everyone else. A few minutes after his captain took control of the match, Momoshiro Takeshi quietly walked away from the tennis courts to place his folded Seigaku regular jersey on the clubroom shelf. His powerful dunk smashes and jack knives had only assisted him in taking one game from Tezuka and two games from Inui, causing the second-year player to lose his regulars position. Right now, watching them play only depressed him further, so he pedaled away on his bike, unaware of his importance to the club.

Upon arriving home, Momoshiro hurried to his room and tried to drown his woes with some CDs, but that did not seem effective. He then pulled out his books and papers to distract his mind with homework.

Soon he heard at the door, "Takeshi, did you hear that dinner's ready?"

"Yeah Okaasan, but I still have homework," he uttered.

"All right, just come down when you're done," his mother replied.

As Momoshiro descended the stairs about half an hour later, he heard, "Nii-chan!" His younger brother and sister had already cleaned their plates, and were giggling as they watched cartoons in the living room. He forced a slight smile at them and walked to the dinner table where his parents were finishing their last bites. Their older son just ate silently and returned to his room.

While the spike-haired boy resumed his homework, he heard his father ordering, "Isamu, get ready for bed!" followed by his brother's complaints. "Remember, you have school tomorrow! Now, get in the shower!" Fortunately, Kokoro was more cooperative when their mother gave her the same order about half an hour later. Takeshi soon pulled out some books on tennis and tossed them on his bed.

'Where did I go wrong?' the dunk smash player questioned himself miserably as he flopped onto the bed and opened a book about tennis moves. After some skimming and reading, he practiced some darts at the wooden target board on his door before getting ready for bed.

The next morning, he slept through tennis practice. While his siblings were noisy and restless at the table, he ate his breakfast without a word. On his way to school, he avoided eye contact with people. All day, he steered away from the tennis courts and did not speak unless requested. Instead of rushing to the cafeteria line at the sound of the lunch bell, he headed for the pond where he sat against a tree, pondering how he could improve his games.

After school, Momoshiro arrived at the street tennis courts to see three players from Yamabuki Chuu, the team Seigaku had conquered to become Tokyo Prefectural champions. His purple eyes recognized Nitobe Inakichi, who along with his partner had crushed Seigaku's Doubles 2, Fuji Syusuke and Kawamura Takashi.

"Hey, aren't you that powerhouse who beat Lucky Sengoku with a cramp?" the black-haired player with blue sunglasses asked. Momoshiro nodded, and he continued, "Well, Sengoku-senpai has been improving his game, so he will cream you next time."

The Seigaku player looked at him and a boy with brown hair. "Sorry, I don't really remember you two."

"Momoshiro, I'm Muromachi Touji, and this is Nishikiori Tsubasa," the bespectacled player introduced. "He has been trying to fill the gap from Akutsu-senpai's departure, and wants to play doubles today. That's why we brought him here." Little did the four boys know that a girl in a Fudomine uniform and pink barrettes was watching them from the bushes.

"Let's play," Nitobe suggested. "Nishikiori and I against you and…"

"No one," the purple-eyed boy answered. "I'll take on two at once."

"One set match! Nitobe-Nishikiori versus Momoshiro! Nitobe to serve!" Muromachi hollered. After hitting the ball back and forth for awhile Nishikiori scored a point. "15-0!"

The game proceeded until the referee announced, "Two games to 1! Change court!" Eventually, the single player won the match 6-3.

"Now, Nishikiori, Muromachi will be your partner," Nitobe proclaimed. "One way to practice doubles is with different partners."

The match began, and the Seigaku powerhouse easily won because both players were not used to doubles. Besides, Nishikiori still wasn't as strong a player as his predecessor, Akutsu Jin.

"I guess I can still play," the spike-haired boy sighed as he pedaled home. Not having much to do besides homework, and attempting to ease his sorrows, he gathered the clothes scattered on his bed and floor. Soon he stored away or hung up the clean clothes and tossed the dirty ones into the laundry. Then he organized his books, papers, CDs, games, and posters. Finally, he threw away the remaining trash and vacuumed the floor, finishing in time for dinner.

At the table, Mrs. Momoshiro praised, "We're glad you finally cleaned you room, but how about homework?"

"I'll do it after dinner," her older son replied.

"Takeshi, your homework is more important. You should have finished that before cleaning your room."

"I didn't want to disturb anyone at night, especially with the vacuum cleaner."

"Then you could have waited till the weekend to clean."

"I don't need too much time to do my homework today, so if I had started right away, I would have a lot of free time."

"That reminds me," Mr. Momoshiro recalled. "Kokoro, Isamu, you should clean your room this weekend." The younger siblings groaned.

"Otousan's right," their mother defended. "Please follow Nii-chan's example."

For the next few minutes, her oldest child spoke very little. Then he stood up, left the table, and placed his dishes in the sink.

"Takeshi, are you sure you've had enough to eat?" she made sure.

"Yeah, and now I'm going to do my homework." Her older son left the kitchen and ascended the stairs.

The next day Momoshiro continued to miss tennis club activities, remain silent, and avoid everyone, unaware that many people were beginning to worry about him. During lunch, he was hiding behind trees at the pond again, trying out different tennis poses and moves. After school, four players from St. Rudolph Gakuen, the school they faced in the prefectural quarterfinals, greeted him at the street tennis courts.

"Look, Yanagisawa!" Vice-captain Nomura Takuya pointed out. "There's the guy that dunk smashed you in the prefecturals!"

"Don't remind me dane!" Yanagisawa Shinya, a duck-faced boy, retorted. "Wasn't his name Momo… something… Momodane?"

"It's Momoshiro, you idiot!" Captain Akazawa Yoshirou corrected. "He was your opponent and you don't even remember his name?"

"Dane." Yanagisawa nodded, then looked at the Seigaku powerhouse who had just set his tennis bag down. "Let's play dane! Fukubuchou and I against you and who dane?"

"I'm playing by myself against you two," Momoshiro responded as he took out a racket.

"Since he's playing singles, I'll play," Akazawa offered.

"We'll play after these two," Kaneda Ichirou suggested, and they all agreed.

"Don't expect to hit me in the face again dane!" Yanagisawa boasted as he and Nomura stepped onto their side of the court.

"No, I want to truly finish our game from the prefecturals without you forfeiting," the powerhouse answered. "You don't have the same partner, but that's all right."

"You won't win dane. My usual partner is not here, but I'm still a doubles expert dane. Besides, it's two against one dane. You'll be easy to beat without Bandanna-kun dane."

"Don't compare me to that stupid mamushi! I don't need him messing up my games dane! Oh no! Now I'm starting to talk like you! Besides, you're still an annoying dane idiot!"

_Since their first year in jr. high, Momoshiro and Kaidou Kaoru had been rivals, often fighting and competing over the smallest issues. It was no surprise that when they were playing Doubles 2 against St. Rudolph in the prefecturals, they had spent most of the game exchanging insults and attacks._

Yanagisawa had the first serve of the game. "Da.. In!" The ball bounced near the spike-haired player, who returned it. Due to Nomura's weak play, his partner felt as if he were playing singles, which was not his strength. The Seigaku player won in a short time.

They prepared for the next game, and Yanagisawa announced, "One set match dane! Momoshiro versus Akazawa-Kaneda dane! Momoshiro to serve dane!" A short rally began, soon to be followed by, "15-0 dane!"

"Would you shut up with those 'danes'!" the spike-haired boy snapped as he performed a bullet serve.

A few minutes later, the referee hollered, "Game to Momoshiro dane! 1-0 dane!"

Realizing how irritated all three players were, the St. Rudolph vice-captain approached. "Here, I'll be the referee instead."

"Fine dane," his duck-faced teammate agreed. It was now Kaneda's turn to serve.

Both sides served, rallied, and scored some more until Nomura called out, "Game to Momoshiro! 3-2! Change court!"

Akazawa stomped his foot. "Argh! My blurring balls have no effect on him!"

"What blurring balls?" the purple-eyed player smirked.

"I don't think this guy's eyes can detect moving objects the way Kikumaru does," Kaneda pointed out.

"Just shut up!" his captain retorted, ready to hit him.

_During the Doubles 1 match in the prefectural quarterfinals, Akazawa continuously targeted and overwhelmed third year Kikumaru Eiji with vibrating balls. Because of his motion vision, the acrobatic player saw several balls at once. Seigaku's first year player, Echizen Ryoma, who had the same ability, complained about the blurry balls hurting his eyes as he watched the match. St. Rudolph's plan had been to break down the Seigaku Golden Pair by taking Kikumaru out first, and despite difficulties, they had succeeded._

Now, Captain Akazawa stood in the middle, at the net, and bragged, "Thanks to the Golden Pair's useless attempt to win, we now know the Australian formation."

From the middle of the baseline, his partner served the ball, but they both couldn't decide which direction to move. As their opponent returned the serve, they panicked and began to argue. In the chaos, Kaneda accidentally lobbed the ball.

Seeing a big opportunity, Momoshiro leapt into the air and performed a dunk smash as he mocked, "Bakazawa, crumble!" The ball bounced hard on the St. Rudolph captain's head. "That's for Eiji-senpai!" As Kaneda rushed towards his falling partner, the ball slammed into his right shoulder. "That's for Oishi-senpai!"

"He must see stars dane," Yanagisawa said as he and Nomura lifted their captain onto a bench.

"Hey! Come back here, cowards!" the Seigaku powerhouse ordered. "The game isn't over yet!"

"It's your fault dane! You really like dunking people out dane! You monster dane!"

"Shut up! I myself was shocked when I hit you a few weeks ago! Now, I wanted to avenge my senpais, but how was I to know that Bakazawa and his follower would be so weak!"

"Come on, we better get them to the hospital," Nomura spoke up. He helped Yanagisawa carry their captain off the street courts as Kaneda walked alongside, rubbing his shoulder.

Momoshiro arrived home and burst into his room, fuming. He inserted a DDRMax game, turned on the console, increased the volume, and selected a song that required many quick steps and jumps. Besides releasing anger, he wanted to practice his moves for tennis. As the round began, he yelled, stomped, and jumped heavily with wrath.

After a few songs, he suddenly heard pounding at the door, followed by, "Takeshi, turn that music off! You're disturbing everybody!" He had no choice but to obey. "Have you finished your homework?"

"No Otousan," he answered as he opened the door to discover his father glaring at him.

"Then what's with all that music, yelling, and stomping! What are you trying to do! Bring down the house! Stop it and start your homework now! You can have fun quietly, and without shaking the house, when you're done. Now, be a good role model for Kokoro and Isamu."

Things have really not been working out for the spike-haired boy. Fortunately, a few rounds of DDRMax had reduced his rage, so he was able to sit down and start his homework.

As he left the dinner table that evening, his mother inquired, "It's good that you are not overeating, but are you sure that's enough? This isn't like you. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," her son mumbled.

"Your appetite's changed," her husband pointed out. "You're not sick or anything, right?"

"No," the spike-haired boy quickly replied, then rushed off to finish his homework.

His behavior remained the same for the third day, unaware of tension stirring in the Seigaku Tennis Club. As he faced the pond and practiced swings with his arm, he felt someone approaching and watching him from the school roof behind and above him.

A few minutes later, he thought he heard the words, "Mada mada dane," followed by some female voices, then "Ryoma-kun." He walked away as he felt one of the girls drawing near.

After school, he played street tennis with players from Gyokurin Chuu, the first school Seigaku faced in the district tournament. The players left two-by-two as they lost. Finally, only Fukawa Kimiyoshi and Izumi Tomoya remained. Momoshiro and Echizen had defeated this pair in the district tournament after losing a game to them a few days before.

"So you're playing by yourself now so you don't have to split the court in half?" Fukawa teased, recalling the unusual way the dunk-smash player and his partner had won against them in the district match.

"Even so, you're still playing singles," Izumi put in.

"I can play against doubles with singles," Momoshiro responded. "Now, let's just play."

After a few games, the Seigaku powerhouse hit a hard dunk smash full of irritation. "I don't feel heated up! Not heated up at all!" He slammed balls into a basket, startling the Gyokurin pair. Suddenly, a tennis ball hit him in the back of the head.

"Huh?" He turned around with a hand on the back of his head. "You…"

"What are you doing here, Momoshiro-kun?" Tachibana An of Fudomine Chuu, the district runner-up, questioned. She had been secretly observing him at the street tennis courts for the third day in a row.

As she inquired Momoshiro about club activities and updated on him on her older brother's team, the Gyokurin pair wished them luck and left. The two decided to play a few games.

After some shots, An complained to the Seigaku powerhouse about seeing her as a fool and going easy on her, then said "Momoshiro-kun, you haven't been yourself lately."

In the middle of another rally, the purple-eyed boy discovered his bad habit of misjudging opponents by appearance, losing pace, becoming negligent, and forgetting the Challenge Spirit. He suddenly performed a spirited dunk smash, and apologized.

However, Captain Tachibana Kippei's sister didn't mind, and commented, "Somehow, you seem more like yourself."

Just then, both second years turned around to see the Hyotei Gakuen Tennis Club regulars staring down at them. They, especially Captain Atobe Keigo, began taunting Seigaku and Fudomine.

As Momoshiro and An agreed to team up for a doubles match against Hyotei, a familiar voice interrupted, "Hey, are you slacking off today too, Momo-senpai?"

_To be continued…_

* * *

**A/N:**

I did not write some of the nouns in English, because the characters wouldn't seem as real. Here are the translations based on subtitles:  
_Okaasan_ – mother  
_Otousan_ - father  
_Nii-chan _- older brother  
_Senpai_ – senior  
_Dane_ – a term Yanagisawa adds to the end of every sentence  
_Fukubuchou_ - vice-captain  
_Mamushi_ – _Gloydius blomhoffii_ (mamushi or Japanese mamushi) is a species of vipers commonly found in Japan.  
_Kun_ – honorific for boys  
_Mada mada dane_ – "no, not yet" or "you still have a ways to go" (Echizen's favorite phrase)

The POV will switch to other characters in the next chapters.

According to the series, Momoshiro was beating everyone at street tennis, so I had to have him win all the games. I also had to make sure no one from Seigaku saw or heard about him during his absence.

Nomura Takuya, Muromachi Touji, and Nishikiori Tsubasa make slight appearances in the series, and Nishikiori does not appear in the anime.

I apologize if I bashed any characters. Their words, descriptions, and actions were based on my interpretations. For example, Captain Akazawa Yoshirou struck me as rude and impatient.

I know that I broke some medical rules in the story. If people lose consciousness in real life, someone should immediately call the ambulance and have them sent to the ER. For example, in Episode 31 and Genius 67, when Momoshiro knocked out Yanagisawa Shinya with his dunk smash, someone should have immediately dialed the emergency number, but his teammates just placed him on a bench, and he soon recovered. In real life, such a hard hit to the face would kill someone. However, the producers and I did not follow medical procedures since this is just anime and manga. I just went along with it, so it wouldn't ruin the mood and flow of the story as well as bring in OOC behavior and unsuitable situations.

Some of the results of the ranking tournament have been revealed in this chapter. The first was Inui regaining his regulars spot and Momoshiro being dropped. That resulted in Momoshiro's bad mood and not showing up for three days, which also led to more problems (results) to be revealed in future chapters.

Both Momoshiro's first (given) and last (surname) names seem related to traditional warriors, so I thought his parents gave those type of names to all their children. Here are the names and ages I assigned. I also included the name meanings, which were from internet sources. I apologize if I got them wrong.

Momoshiro's siblings:  
_Kokoro_ (heart or spirit) – younger sister, 8  
_Isamu_ (courage, bravery) – younger brother, 6

Information on the Seigaku regulars' rooms can be found at:  
_TeniPuri DSP_:http(colon)(double slash)www(dot)yoshikochan(dot)com(slash)tenipuri(slash)index(dot)htm  
_TeniPuri Fandom_: http(colon)(double slash)www(dot)geocities(dot)com(slash)Gemini(underscore)9734(slash)  
Remember to replace the words in parentheses with the proper symbols or punctuation.


	2. Chapter 2

**Seigaku Ranking Results**

**Disclaimer**: _Prince of Tennis_ is created by Takeshi Konomi. I do not own it.

**A/N**:  
NO FLAMING allowed!

The POV will switch among several characters in the chapter.

Beware of SPOILERS for Episodes 52-53 and Genius 116-118. This chapter is centered on them.

* * *

Chapter 2

For the next three days, the captain's victory over Inui Sadaharu with the Tezuka Zone was the talk of the Seigaku Tennis Club. The first day after the June Intra-school Ranking Tournament, practice resumed as usual. Though the club's spirit seemed to have decreased, people overlooked Momoshiro Takeshi's absence as trivial. Members eagerly waited for his return on the second day, but to their disappointment, he still did not show up.

"Do you know what happened to Momoshiro?" Tezuka asked that afternoon.

"No, I haven't seen or heard from him these last two days," replied Vice-captain Oishi Syuichirou, a tall third year with black hair and green eyes, as he locked the clubroom.

"Well, he'll be running laps when he returns."

"If he returns, that is…"

The captain maintained his stoic expression on his way home. The Kantou Tournament was drawing near, so he had much to think about, and Momoshiro's absence wasn't the only thing. Unfortunately, worries about the missing player plagued the vice-captain for he wasn't known as "the mother of Seigaku" without a reason.

Questions about the mischievous second year kept racing through his mind as he did his homework: 'What if he's ill? What if he was in an accident? Or even worse, what if he's dead?'

By dinnertime, Oishi had decided that he would give the Seigaku powerhouse another day to return. Still, he ate slower than usual.

As he stood up and put his plate into the sink, Mrs. Oishi asked, "Done already, Syuichirou? Are you sure that's enough?"

"Yeah," her son replied.

"That's less than what you would eat," Mr. Oishi commented.

"Well, I need to get back to my homework and things for the tennis club."

His sixth-grade sister worriedly watched him leave the kitchen. "Okaasan, Otousan, what's wrong with Nii-chan?"

"Don't worry, Atsuko," their mother comforted. "He's probably just busy and not hungry."

XXX

'I remember putting them here last night!' Oishi thought as he frantically searched the top of his bedside shelf for the clubroom keys. Where could they have gone?' Suddenly, his foot felt a hard and cold bundle. His green eyes looked down and caught the keys, which must have fallen onto the floor during his sleepless night of was tossing, turning, and worrying about Momoshiro.

Upon opening his tennis bag in the clubroom, the vice-captain realized that he had left his spare racket at home. Morning practice for the third day began as usual though the atmosphere was gloomy without a certain laughing spike-haired player. Everyone was very concerned, even some girls when they heard the news. All morning the green-eyed boy just could not stop wondering what happened to the purple-eyed one.

"Next, Oishi-kun!" his teacher called. He searched the lines of his textbook. "You're lost? Pay attention!" Everyone laughed as a classmate pointed to the correct spot. The black-haired boy's face flushed as he stood up and began reading aloud.

Later, he realized that he had forgotten his lunch, which meant standing in the cafeteria line. Then he had to inform the first year trio of Horio Satoshi, Katou Kachirou, and Mizuno Katsuo about the futility of discussing Momoshiro's absence. After stopping by Class 2-8 to learn that the powerhouse had left right after the lunch bell, the vice-captain was pestered by fangirls. He made his way past them, and continued searching, but no luck. After lunch, he found out that he had made careless mistakes on a quiz yesterday. As if his day couldn't get any worse, some of the strings snapped during afternoon practice, so he had to borrow a racket.

While watching the practice with Kawamura Takashi, a third year power player with light brown sideburns, Inui commented, "Oishi is getting really irritated, eh?"

"Yeah, he cares about the club two times more than the others," the light brown-haired genius, Fuji Syusuke, agreed as he revealed his blue eyes, which often appeared to be hidden. "He is worried about Momo."

A few minutes later, Kawamura approached, out-of-breath, and complained, "What's up with Oishi today?" Kikumaru Eiji, the red-haired acrobatic regular, was trying to hide his worries and improve the mood by joking about his partner-in-crime slacking off after being dropped from the regulars.

Unfortunately, his plan backfired with the mother of Seigaku yelling, "Eiji! That's too insensitive!" Everyone dropped their tennis balls and rackets as they directed their gaze towards the Golden Pair.

"What's up now, Oishi? What are you so jumpy about?" his doubles partner asked, surprised and puzzled at the outburst. Before the green-eyed boy could answer, Kikumaru was shaking with laughter and pointing out, "You wear your shirt inside out, Oishi! How embarrassing!"

The vice-captain glanced down, and it was the final straw. His arm immediately rose and shoved his doubles partner across the court. Horio, Katou, and Mizuno's eyes widened in shock since during lunch they had mentioned how Oishi was too nice to hit anyone. Now he had just stunned everybody, including himself, by striking one of his best friends.

The black-haired boy quickly rushed over, apologized, and offered a hand to his partner, who slapped it away and loudly broadcasted, "Now I'm angry! I'm not grouping with a guy like him!"

A second-year member approached. "Kikumaru-senpai! Don't be so angry!"

"No!" the third year acrobat emphasized.

Kawamura stepped up. "Hey Oishi, Kikumaru, you guys are still playing doubles in the coming matches!"

"No way, no way!" the red-haired player clarified. "Combination cancelled! Done deal!"

"If Eiji says so, we can't do anything about it," Oishi concluded.

Kikumaru continued to express his anger as he and Echizen Ryoma practiced doubles against Oishi and Kaidou Kaoru.

He blamed the first year when the vice-captain returned his Twist Serve. "Geez… I hate you, too, Ochibi!" Just then, Kaidou's Boomerang Snake went out. "Yes! Serves you right!"

"Eiji! Control yourself!" the mother of Seigaku scolded.

"Why? Just because I got one point, don't be so bitter!"

"That's not it! What you said just now was bad for Kaidou!"

"What, huh? You can't take the truth?"

Just then, Captain Tezuka appeared and made them run 20 laps around the court, and Inui used the short pause to jot down new data in his green notebook: "Echizen is hopeless in doubles, even if he teams up with or plays against the Golden Pair. The Golden Pair can play both singles and doubles, even when angry."

A few minutes later, the stoic captain commanded, "Everyone resume practice!" Though they obeyed, he shook his head while maintaining his expressionless face.

When the sun began to set, he announced, "All right, practice is over! I expect a better performance and more cooperation tomorrow! Dismissed!"

All members breathed a sigh of relief, never expecting a school ranking tournament to cause a chain of bad events that erupted into a big crisis. First Momoshiro had been missing, and despite his absence, his bad mood was contagious. It dampened the other members' spirits and caused Oishi's irritation, which lead to a rift between the Golden Pair. Everything seemed to be falling apart.

'Chance of Seigaku winning the next tournament in the current situation, 1 percent,' Inui mumbled to himself as he lingered behind the others, gathering more data. Meanwhile, the brown-haired bespectacled teen walked towards the school building, hiding his dismay behind the stoic mask.

"Looks like the club is having problems," Coach Ryuzaki pointed out as Tezuka entered the classroom.

The captain nodded. "Right."

"Today's practice was terrible. What are we going to do?"

"The Kantou Tournament is near."

"Seigaku's problem is in doubles. We lack strong doubles players."

"As of today, it's an even bigger problem." They proceeded to discuss the dispute between the Golden Pair, Momoshiro's absence, and the low spirits of the club.

"We'll see what happens tomorrow, and if things don't improve, we'll have to try some new combinations," the coach suggested. "Now, there is something else I need to inform you about."

XXX

While changing, Kikumaru heard, "Oishi didn't mean to hit you. He was not himself today." The red-haired player had been the first to dash into the clubroom, and now his smiling classmate, Fuji, was standing beside him.

Kawamura quickly joined them. "That's right. He was yelling and angrily slamming balls at me, too."

"That's easy for you to say since he didn't smack you nya," Kikumaru protested.

"Sometimes jokes can be taken too far or played at the wrong time," the genius informed.

"In that case, the jokes can become hurtful," Kawamura added. "Oishi was shocked, too, and he apologized."

"No, he didn't... Fine, side with that jerk! I'm leaving now! Bye!" the acrobatic player waved as he stormed out of the clubroom without noticing green eyes following him.

After checking to make sure that the first year members had brought in the tennis balls, rackets, and nets, Oishi had joined the others in the clubroom. His green eyes kept stealing glances at the hyperactive acrobat with worry, guilt, and regrets. While then, he had also seen his captain enter with his usual mask and a big envelope.

As the vice-captain followed his current ex-doubles partner out the door, Fuji interrupted, "I don't think it's a good idea to approach him right now."

Inui suddenly appeared behind them. "Correct! There's a 100 percent chance that you have added Kikumaru to your main worries. However, probability of him talking to you this evening, 0 percent."

"What am I going to do?" the mother of Seigaku sighed.

"After you lock the door, just go home and don't worry about it," Kawamura advised as he and Fuji left.

The data collector remained with his green notebook opened and a pencil in his right hand. He secretly followed Seigaku's youngest regular as he departed from the clubroom.

'There is a 95 percent chance that Echizen is worried and searching for Momoshiro,' Inui thought. 'Probability that he will be correct on Momoshiro's location, 60 percent.'

XXX

Kikumaru tried to appear cheerful and bouncy on his way home, remembering the nice and thoughtful things his ex-partner had done for him, such as lending him money for new tennis shoes, often treating and giving him a hand, and being the game-maker in matches. When he lost much stamina during the St. Rudolph matches, Oishi had constantly shown concern, covered him for two games, and assisted him off the courts after losing the tiebreaker. It just made no sense for someone so kind to yell and strike him.

Right after closing the front door and taking off his shoes, the hyperactive acrobat stomped up the stairs, relieved that no one else was home. As he roughly flung open his bedroom door and slammed his bag onto the floor, his big teddy bear, Daigorou, fell to the left. Kikumaru grabbed the stuffed animal for comfort, then loaded a fighting game, increased the volume, and selected a tall opponent with short black hair.

"Nya take that, Oishi!" the red-haired boy yelled as he made his character deliver a punch to his opponent. "And that!" His character kicked the computer player. "And that!" Another punch landed in the face.

After some playing and yelling, Kikumaru exclaimed to Daigorou, "Yes! I'm winning! I'm going to beat my highest score!"

Suddenly, the door burst open, and his older brother, Mikio, slammed his high school bag on the floor by his desk. "Eiji, turn that off!"

"No! I'm about to reach a record high score!" his hyperactive younger brother retorted.

Just then, his older sister, Hisa, appeared at the door. "What's going on here? It's so loud!"

"Who cares about your stupid games and scores!" Mikio bickered.

As the words, _Game Over_, flashed on the screen, the youngest Kikumaru complained, "Look what you've done! You made me lose!"

"Well, we have homework to do, so we need it quiet," Hisa informed. "Geez… you're such a big baby!"

"A spoiled brat!" their older brother added.

"Stop trying to act all grown up!" the acrobatic player shouted.

"Quiet!" Mr. Kikumaru hollered as he approached the door.

"What's going on here?" his wife asked.

"Nii-chan and Nee-chan are picking on me nya!" their youngest child whined.

"No, we're not!" Mikio contradicted.

"We just want it quiet so we can do our homework," his twin stated.

"Eiji, they are right," their father defended. "Have you finished your homework?"

His youngest son shook his head. "No."

"Then you should get started," Mrs. Kikumaru advised. "You know you should finish your homework first. Then you can play games quietly later." She looked at all three teenagers. "Please speak to one another nicely. Don't yell or call names." Hisa headed for the room she shared with Keiko as their parents descended the stairs.

While doing homework, Eiji was slamming books and papers out of frustration. He even stood up and paced the room at times.

"Stop that!" Mikio demanded.

"Shut up!"

Just then, a knock sounded on the door, and the hyperactive boy opened it to see their oldest sibling, Tadashi. "Both of you! Please try not to fight! Eiji, please try to keep it down. Mikio, please try to be more patient with Eiji." He and Keiko had just returned from college and began studying. Upon hearing noise and voices from their younger brothers' room, Tadashi knew he had better prevent another quarrel.

Fortunately, homework continued until dinner without incident. With the grandparents, parents, and their five children, the dinner table was lively as usual. Though the youngest Kikumaru remained his cheerful and bouncy self, he was still pouting, and didn't speak much. His cell phone rang, and recognizing the phone number, he immediately silenced the ringer. He quickly ate, then slipped away to his room in time to hear a text signal from the phone. Seeing the name, Oishi Syuichirou, he deleted the message. Then he inserted a Chocolates CD into his player and resumed his homework. A few minutes later, a knock sounded.

"Could you please turn the music down?" Keiko asked. She knew she had better prevent more commotion among her younger siblings. "It's not a good idea to listen to music while studying, but if you must, please keep the volume down or use headphones."

"Fine," he replied.

"By the way, you don't seem to be yourself tonight. You didn't really talk at dinner, and earlier Hisa was complaining about you being upset about turning off your video games. What happened? Is something wrong?"

"No."

"Is there anything you need to talk about?"

"Nothing nya."

"Remember, if you have any problems, you are free to talk about them."

The hyperactive boy leapt and threw his arms around her. "Thanks Nee-chan!"

Keiko left and closed the door behind her. She and Tadashi were usually more patient and understanding than the two middle siblings. That was why Eiji was closer to them. After finishing his homework, he began thinking about new doubles partners.

'Momo and Ochibi are an insult to doubles, so they are out of the question,' he mumbled to himself. 'I definitely do not want to drink Inui's horrible juices, and there's no way I would ask Tezuka or Kaidou. They're too scary. That leaves me with Fujiko or Taka-san. I guess I could play doubles with them nya.'

Thoughts bothered the red-haired boy as he went to bed, hugging Daigorou. 'I know it wasn't a nice thing to say about Momo, but Oishi did not have to yell or smack me. That's why I'm not speaking to him again. Where has Momo been anyways? What happened to him? I hope he's all right and will return to practice.' He fell asleep as Mikio continued his homework.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**A/N**:

Translations based on subtitles:  
_Okaasan_ – mother  
_Otousan_ - father  
_Nii-chan _- older brother  
_Nee-chan_ – older sister  
_Senpai_ – senior  
_Nya_ – a cat sound Kikumaru occasionally adds to his sentences  
_Ochibi_ – baby boy, kiddo, or little one (Kikumaru's nickname for Echizen)  
_Buchou_ – captain

I've always thought that Oishi's bad mood in Episode 52 and Genius 116 was due to more than just worrying.

Since Kikumaru has a big family, I expect much activity, interaction, and conflict.

More ranking results were revealed in this chapter. Momoshiro's absence resulted in low spirits and worrying, especially for Oishi whose bad mood led to the fight and breakup of the Golden Pair and a few problems at home. All that will continue into the next chapter.

It was not easy thinking of names for the regulars' unnamed siblings. For the Golden Pair's siblings, I chose names with meanings that fit their personalities. Oishi is kind and overprotective, so I pictured his family, even his younger sister, to be similar. I imagined the two oldest Kikumaru siblings to be well-behaved and patient, and the two middle ones to be competitive and domineering.

Oishi's younger sister: _Atsuko_ (kind, warm, or industrious child), 11

Kikumaru's siblings:  
_Tadashi_ (correct or righteous) – oldest brother and sibling, 21  
_Keiko_ (respectful or blessed child) – oldest sister, 19  
_Mikio_ (tree trunk man) – 2nd brother, 17, older twin to Hisa  
_Hisa_ (enduring) - 2nd sister, 17, younger twin to Mikio


	3. Chapter 3

**Seigaku Ranking Results**

**Disclaimer**: _Prince of Tennis_ is created by Takeshi Konomi. I do not own it.

**A/N**:  
NO FLAMING allowed!

The POV will continue to switch among characters in this chapter.

Beware of SPOILERS for Episodes 52-53 and Genius 116-118. This chapter is also centered on them.

* * *

Chapter 3

After his meeting with Coach Ryuzaki, Captain Tezuka rushed into the clubroom to quickly change and leave, happy that he didn't have his vice-captain's job of locking and unlocking the door. He was not an outgoing person to begin with, and right now, with so much on his mind he was really in no mood for social interaction. On his way home, he pulled out a booklet from a big envelope and began flipping the pages.

That evening, Tezuka passed the booklet, forms, and pamphlets around the dinner table. "Ryuzaki-sensei told me about this study abroad program."

"Study abroad in America?" his father wondered. "It sounds like a good opportunity."

"I know you're probably eager for it," his mother said, "but are you sure you would like to take the offer?"

"It is interesting," their son answered.

"I think you should focus more on your studies instead of sports, Kunimitsu," his grandfather suggested.

"I did make a promise to lead Seigaku to the Nationals," the captain reminded.

"Take some time to think about it," Mrs. Tezuka advised. They continued eating, mostly in silence.

After dinner, Kunimitsu announced, "I've decided that I won't take the offer. I intend to keep my promise and play in the Nationals with my team."

"I'm glad you're staying home," his grandfather praised.

"If you want to study abroad, there should be more opportunities after jr. high," Mr. Tezuka said.

The captain had just finished homework when his cell phone rang. "Yeah, Oishi… Good, thanks… We need to get ready for the Kantou Tournament… You too, bye…"

Tezuka already knew his punishment for Momoshiro, so he proceeded to plan new doubles pairs. 'I do not play doubles, and Echizen is impossible, so we are out of the question. Fuji and Kawamura have played Doubles 2 a few times, so they could be a possibility. Kaidou's attitude would be a problem, but maybe I could try putting him with Inui or Fuji. With his data, Inui could be paired with almost anyone. Same with the genius Fuji. They will definitely support their partners with useful tips. Now, for Oishi and Kikumaru. Since they're doubles specialists, I could place them with anyone, but they are still the best together. Well, if they still haven't stopped their nonsense tomorrow morning, they're running laps.'

Next, he worked on the training schedule for the next day, then packed his tennis bag. Finally, he folded and placed his school uniform and glasses on his dresser before going to bed.

XXX

Following afternoon practice, upon hearing Horio say, "According to my theory, Momo-chan-senpai has lost interest in tennis," Echizen immediately knew where to look. A few minutes later, he was mounting the stairs of the street tennis courts, unaware of a tall bespectacled teen with a green notebook following him.

"Hey, are you slacking off today too, Momo-senpai?" the first year regular questioned as he approached his senior who was with Tachibana An and Hyotei Gakuen regulars.

This caused the Hyotei regulars to tease him as well as Seigaku and Fudomine. Finally, Oshitari Yuushi and Mukahi Gakuto prepared to challenge Momoshiro in doubles, leading to more exchange of insults. Seeing Hyotei's arrogance, Echizen offered to play against Captain Atobe Keigo, which once again reminded the Seigaku powerhouse about the Challenge Spirit. However, the conceited captain refused, bragged how Hyotei will beat Seigaku, and led his team away.

As An packed her tennis bag, Momoshiro said, "Thank you for many things."

She wished both boys luck, concluded, "You're finally back to the Momoshiro-kun I know," and started home.

"Well, Echizen, why did you come here?" his best friend asked.

"No particular reason... Bye!" the younger boy replied and took off.

"That guy..." Momoshiro thought as his purple eyes followed Echizen down the stairs towards the sunset. He then broke into a run and caught up to the Fudomine captain's younger sister.

"Hey, An-chan, would you like to go for burgers?" he invited. "It will be my 'thank you' treat."

She accepted. "That would be great!"

After a turn at the bottom of the stairs, they overtook Echizen and invited him along.

Meanwhile, hidden behind a bush, Inui noted, "Probability of Tachibana An helping Momoshiro, 95 percent, probability he would treat them to burgers, 75 percent."

"So Echizen, you really had no reason for stopping by?" the Seigaku second year double-checked.

"No reason," the youngest Seigaku regular repeated as he pulled down the brim of his white cap.

"Yeah right, Echizen-kun, you were looking for Momoshiro-kun because you were worried," An spoke up.

"Were you watching me from the roof during lunch?" the powerhouse inquired. Echizen shook his head. "Yeah, you were. I thought I heard you say your usual phrase and someone mentioning your name."

"No, I was sleeping," the first year denied.

"Come on, I know you have been worried," An contradicted. "Don't need to hide it. Everyone in the club should be worried. For once, show your true feelings. Don't act like you don't care when you actually do."

"An-chan's right," Momoshiro agreed. "It's all right express what you feel."

"Mada mada dane," Echizen retorted.

'There was a 99 percent chance that Echizen will deny worrying, and a 100 percent chance that he would utter his favorite phrase,' the data collector told himself.

Fortunately, the lines at A-Hamburgers weren't too long. The three of them quickly gave their orders, which were ready in a few minutes. As usual, the tall powerhouse had a tray full of burgers and drinks.

"Eating that much as usual," An remarked as they sat down at the nearest table. "I'm not surprised."

"I won't be satisfied if I don't eat this much," the dunk-smash player replied.

As they ate, Captain Tachibana's sister was the one who mostly initiated conversations, with Momoshiro joining in. Echizen remained quiet, only making quick, short replies at times. They discussed possible opponents for the Kantou Tournament and Nationals. All three were eager to face Hyotei, especially after their encounter earlier. They also looked forward to overthrowing the current champions, Rikkaidai Fuzoku Chuu.

Soon after they left the burger place, Momoshiro answered his cell phone, "Hello... Yeah, I'm fine… Sorry to get you all worried… Yeah, I'll be at practice tomorrow… I'll see you, too... Bye."

"What was that about?" the Fudomine girl asked.

'There is an 80 percent chance that it was…' Inui remarked to himself correctly.

"It was Oishi-senpai," Momoshiro replied.

"I thought so," Echizen mumbled as he pulled down the brim of his cap. "That guy is always worrying."

"See, everyone is waiting for you," An emphasized. "You are important to the club."

The purple-eyed player gave in. "I guess you're right." They waved goodbye to one another and parted ways.

Inui decided, "I would not need to call Tezuka to tell him about Momoshiro because there is a 90 percent chance that Oishi will do it tonight."

When Momoshiro got home, his family was already halfway through dinner, but he still joined them. He was also chatting and laughing.

His mother smiled. "Good to see you back to your old self again."

"By the way, didn't your school just had tennis matches?" Isamu asked.

"That's right, how was it?" Kokoro quickly spoke up.

"I bet you pound them good!" his brother exclaimed.

The powerhouse frowned. "I lost to our buchou and Inui, so I'm no longer a regular."

"No wonder you were acting so strangely," Mr. Momoshiro commented. "It's all right. Everyone loses at times."

"Just try harder next time," Mrs. Momoshiro added. "Also, when something is bothering you, please feel free to talk about it."

"That's right," his father agreed. "We're here for you."

"Thanks Okaasan, Otousan!" their older son answered. After dinner, he immediately did his homework, then practiced some darts. Before falling asleep, he double-checked his alarm clock to make sure he would arrive early at morning practice for he had much explaining to do.

XXX

To Oishi's relief, everyone finally left, so he locked the clubroom. It had not been his day, and he still could not stop fretting about Momoshiro, the club, or his behavior during practice. At last, he was home in his room, unaware that his younger sister was looking at him with concern.

He quickly fed his fish and flopped on the bed as the events of the day, especially afternoon practice, continued to race through his mind. He had been too harsh on Kawamura, then totally lost his temper to the point of knocking Kikumaru over.

Another realization soon struck the vice-captain. 'What if I had shoved him into the fence or a post? He could have been severely hurt.' Still, Oishi recalled the look of shock and hurt in those round blue eyes before it turned to anger. 'I betrayed one of my best friends so I can't blame him for getting mad at me. He is right. It was all my fault.'

He kept replaying the words, "Eiji! Control yourself!" realizing that he had been in no position to say them after his actions.

"I have been such a jerk today," he complained as everything hit him at once. He quickly buried his face in the pillow, and soon he gave up the futile attempt of fighting back tears.

"Dinner's ready!" his mother hollered.

As his sister entered the kitchen, she informed, "Okaasan, something is wrong with Nii-chan."

"What do you mean something wrong, Atsuko?"

"He was acting strangely when he got home."

Mrs. Oishi rushed upstairs to her son's room with her daughter following behind. She knocked and slowly opened the door.

"Syuichirou?" she called before catching sight of him on the bed. She pulled the covers over him, walked out, and closed the door behind her.

"Nii-chan's asleep?" the sixth grader asked softly.

"Yeah, he is probably exhausted from a busy day," Mrs. Oishi whispered as they headed back downstairs.

Later, the vice-captain opened his eyes and sat up, wondering how long it had been since he had cried himself to sleep. His clocks informed him that his family must be halfway through dinner by now. As thoughts of the day returned, he picked up his cell phone to do what he should have done earlier instead of taking his frustrations out on teammates.

"Hello," a familiar cheerful voice greeted on the other end.

"Momo, how are you? Are you all right?" the mother of Seigaku questioned. He could also hear chatter and traffic over the phone.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Where have you been? We've been worried. I feared you were sick or even worse…"

"Sorry to get you all worried," Momoshiro apologized.

"Are you returning?"

"Yeah, I'll be at practice tomorrow."

"Then, I'll see you in the morning," the vice-captain concluded.

"I'll see you, too."

"All right, bye."

"Bye."

Though Oishi had banished one concern out of his mind, he had obtained another that afternoon. He was not surprised when Kikumaru didn't answer his cell phone. Inui had been right about that red-haired boy holding a grudge.

The green-eyed teenager then left a text message despite the futility. "Eiji, I'm really sorry for hitting you. Please call back. We really need to talk."

Atsuko was leaving the kitchen as her brother arrived and joined their parents at the table. She decided to eavesdrop at the stairway for awhile. The knot in her brother's stomach caused him to eat slowly again.

"What's wrong, Syuichirou?" his father inquired.

"Nothing," he quickly lied.

"Nothing?" Mr. Oishi echoed in doubt.

"It's the second day in a row that you're not really eating," his wife pointed out. "Atsuko also said that you were acting strangely." A slightly surprised expression flashed on her son's face. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Syuichirou nodded. He really had no appetite, so after his parents emptied their plates, he also stood up and placed his in the sink.

"Are you sure you've had enough?" his mother made sure. He nodded again. "You're not ill, are you?"

"No, I'm fine," he responded. "Now I have a lot of homework to do."

His father gave in. "All right, if you say so."

"Just remember, if you need anything, we're here for you," Mrs. Oishi added. "We don't want you to be sick or miserable."

The vice-captain uttered his thanks and raced upstairs, but stopped outside his room when he heard, "Nii-chan! Is something wrong?"

"No, Atsuko, don't worry," he assured and disappeared inside. Though he knew that his overprotective family only cared about him, he sometimes found it a pain. Still, he couldn't blame them because he behaved the same way.

Guilt, regrets, and worries kept causing the mother of Seigaku to struggle with his homework. He especially couldn't quit brooding over worsening the tennis club by losing his temper, which broke up the school's only strong doubles pair. Unfortunately, he was unable to remedy the situation if his bouncy teammate would not even communicate with him. After finishing his homework, he picked up his cell phone and dialed the number for another one of his best friends.

"Yeah, Oishi," a stoic voice answered.

"I called Momoshiro earlier," Oishi informed his captain. "He said he'll be at practice tomorrow."

"Good, thanks."

"I'm sorry about my behavior this afternoon. With the club falling apart, we really need to do something."

"We need to get ready for the Kantou Tournament," Tezuka reminded.

"I know. We'll see what happens tomorrow morning. I'll see you."

"You too, bye."

"Bye."

The vice-captain greatly respected Tezuka for being able to effectively command and maintain the tennis club. Knowing it to be a very difficult job, the mother of Seigaku began considering ways to assist the stoic captain. First, he would need to raise everyone's spirits, which seemed impossible with his mood. He hoped that the return of a friendly, smiling ex-regular could alleviate the problem. Next would be doubles for the Kantou Tournament. This aggravated his remorse, but he had to clean up the mess he had contributed to.

"I guess I could pair up with anyone besides Tezuka, Echizen, or… Eiji," he sighed to his fish as they swam around worriless. Unfortunately, the further he mulled over the subject, the more he realized that he didn't want to change his doubles partner. He already missed the red hair, blue eyes, bandage, hyperactivity, acrobatics, and mischief. 'If only I hadn't hit him.'

Oishi switched on his alarm clocks, then tossed and turned in bed, pondering how he would reconcile with Kikumaru and encourage Momoshiro. He awoke many times, mostly from dreams about Seigaku losing tournaments, the demise of the tennis club, and conflicts with teammates. Finally, he glanced at the clock as the sun rose, and decided to get ready for morning practice.

"Good morning, Taka-san, Kawamura-ojisan!" the green-eyed player greeted outside Kawamura Sushi.

"Good morning, Oishi!" the power player responded as he lifted a few boxes of seafood.

"Good morning!" Mr. Kawamura smiled.

Oishi followed his teammate inside. "Taka-san, I'm sorry about our practice yesterday. Here, let me help you with those as an apology."

"It's all right," Takashi declared. "I understand you were under a lot of pressure. Besides, these are heavy, so I don't recommend anyone lifting them. You really should go open the clubroom now."

"All right, see you in a bit."

"You too."

The morning sun was casting bright rays on Seigaku when the vice-captain unlocked the clubroom. Very soon, club members would be filling up the room and tennis courts. He prepared himself, dreading the moment he would have to confront a certain acrobat.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**A/N**:

Translations based on subtitles:  
_Okaasan_ – mother  
_Otousan_ – father  
_Ojisan_ - uncle  
_Nii-chan _- older brother  
_Senpai_ – senior  
_Sensei_ – teacher, coach  
_Kun_ – honorific for boys  
_Chan_ – honorific for girls or children  
_San_ – general honorific, can be translated to Mr., Mrs., Miss, or Ms.  
_Mada mada dane_ – "no, not yet" or "you still have a ways to go"

Most of the ranking results were in this chapter were the same as those in Chapter 2. This chapter continued the problems at home.

Seigaku regulars' siblings in this chapter:  
_Momoshiro Kokoro_ (heart or spirit) – younger sister, 8  
_Momoshiro Isamu_ (courage, bravery) – younger brother, 6  
_Oishi Atsuko_ (kind, warm, or industrious child) – younger sister, 11


	4. Chapter 4

**Seigaku Ranking Results**

**Disclaimer**: _Prince of Tennis_ is created by Takeshi Konomi. I do not own it.

**A/N**:  
NO FLAMING allowed!

Beware of SPOILERS for Episode 53-54 and Genius 118-119.

* * *

Chapter 4

"Nya, Momo's back!" Kikumaru excitedly jumped and threw his arms around his partner-in-crime as he stepped through the door. The mood in the clubroom brightened as members arrived and dressed for practice.

"Good morning!" Coach Ryuzaki greeted when Tezuka entered the classroom. "You have thought about studying abroad, right?"

"Ryuzaki-sensei… I'm sorry to tell you this… but I will not take this offer," the captain declared, handing back the envelope. "Right now… right now, for our team… we're definitely going to play in the All-Japan Tournament. That's all."

"Are you sure? You did seem interested."

"Right, I've already decided to lead Seigaku to the Nationals."

Coach Ryuzaki looked out the window as the sun brightened up the school. "By the way, last night, my granddaughter told me that she saw Momoshiro during lunch."

Tezuka hid the surprised expression behind his usual mask. "Really?"

"She went to the roof and saw him leaving the pond below."

"Last night, Oishi spoke to Momoshiro, and he said he would be at practice today."

"I hope so. If he doesn't show up, we'll now know another place to look for him."

"Thanks, Ryuzaki-sensei," Tezuka uttered as he left for the tennis courts.

The first years had just placed the baskets of those bright yellow balls on the ground, and were setting up the nets. Others stood around, eyes happily fixed on a familiar spike-haired figure in a yellow T-shirt.

Inui approached as Tezuka stepped through the gate. "There is an 80 percent chance that Echizen probably saw Momoshiro during lunch yesterday. I heard that some people were looking for Echizen on the roof. Since that is his favorite place to hang out, the probability of him being there yesterday was 95 percent. The chance of him finding Momoshiro's location from that place was 80 percent because you can see 80 percent of the school from there. After practice yesterday, Echizen met Momoshiro at the street tennis courts and they went for burgers. Though Echizen denies it, the probability of him worrying and looking for his best friend was 90 percent."

"Thanks Inui," the captain muttered, putting the bits of new information together.

Momoshiro nervously awaited his punishment. "Sorry for missing practice."

Tezuka glared. "Do you have any reasons for it?"

The second year shook his bowed head. A long silence passed as everyone uneasily watched the encounter and guessed the punishment.

Suddenly, a familiar voice startled the vice-captain. "Oishi, how many times do you think Momo has to run?" He quickly averted his gaze to his doubles partner, wondering if he was dreaming.

Kikumaru looked at the confused Oishi and added, "Around the court? How many times do you think he has to run, nya?" Now, it was the acrobatic player's turn to be baffled as he rubbed his finger under his nose. Several times, he had almost talked to the black-haired boy, only to recall that they were not speaking. However, now that he had forgotten again and started a conversation, it was too late to turn back.

Both players looked, called out each other's names, broadcasted, "Sorry!" at the same time, and laughed, catching Inui and Fuji's attention.

"Golden Pair... regrouped," the smiling genius confirmed as the partners performed a high five. Fuji then diverted his revealed eyes towards the gate. "Now then... what happens over there..."

Momoshiro's head was still bowed as Tezuka scolded, "I can't tolerate anyone who breaks the rules. You're not going to use your racket for awhile. Pick up balls. It's terrible for you to miss club activities for 3 days, OK?"

"Yes! Sorry!"

"One hundred laps around the court. Go now."

"Yes!" Momoshiro obeyed as he began running.

"O... one hundred laps?" Mizuno asked in shock.

"That's going to be the record high!" Horio exclaimed.

Coach Ryuzaki smiled out the window as Tezuka encouraged, "Momoshiro, come back to us in the next ranking tournament."

"Understood!" the ex-regular replied.

As everyone rejoiced over things returning to normal, the tennis club manager held up a glass of strangely dark liquid. "When Momo finishes running… should I make him drink this?"

Kawamura turned towards it in fear. "Inui, that is?"

"It's the new Inui juice special high grade deluxe. It's best…" the data player smirked as his glasses flashed, "…to drink after running. Kawamura, you want to drink, too?"

The light brown-haired power player quickly faced away, eyes and mouth wide open. "Nah…"

"Momo is back to his old self," the mother of Seigaku confirmed.

"Yeah..." Tezuka agreed. "On the other hand, what happened to Echizen?"

"Huh? Echizen?" Oishi asked, looking around. In all the joy, relief, and excitement of Momoshiro's return, everyone seemed to have temporarily overlooked their youngest regular. "Speaking of which, I haven't seen him today..." He froze in shock as the captain shouted his punishment.

XXX

It took the alarm clock awhile to wake Echizen and startle him with the time. The first-year Seigaku regular had overslept as usual, so he quickly put on his tennis uniform and rushed to school.

Walking towards the clubroom, he heard Oishi's voice. "Huh? Echizen? Speaking of which, I haven't seen him today..."

As the youngest regular's hand touched doorknob, his captain's voice scared him. "I won't tolerate those who break the rules! He is running 100 times around the court, too!" Knowing that he was obviously in trouble, the first year quickly set his bag down in the clubroom and dashed towards the courts.

"Echizen!" Tezuka's voice and stoic glare stopped him at the gate. "I heard that you saw Momoshiro during lunch break yesterday."

Inui approached with glasses flashing, mouth grinning, and left hand holding a glass of bubbling liquid. "My Inui juice of alertness. It will make you more awake, alert, and willing to talk. Now, tell the truth, or drink it."

"Is it true that you saw him yesterday?" the captain continued. Intimidated by both tall players, Echizen quickly nodded. "Why didn't you tell us yesterday afternoon? Some trouble could have been avoided." He rapidly glanced at the Golden Pair and back at the shorter boy.

"I know you went to the street tennis courts to look for your best friend yesterday," the data collector declared. "That means you were concerned, so don't act like you don't care."

"For being late too many times, withholding important information, and not caring about the rest of the team, you shall join Momoshiro in running 100 laps! Go now!"

Inui held the glass under the tardy member's nose. "Unless you want to drink this."

Terrified and angry, Echizen took off without a word, thinking, 'Inui-senpai is always spying. Well, if he had seen me on the roof during lunch, why didn't he say anything yesterday? That means he didn't. He probably stalked me to the street tennis courts to eavesdrop. Why wasn't I more careful?'

Just then, the captain saw Kaidou's expression and gesture change as Momoshiro was nearing him. He started towards the second year players.

"Stupid Momo!" the snake shot player with a green bandana interrupted. "Showing off and getting yourself punished with 100 laps, which you can't even do! Fshuuu..."

The powerhouse was just about to retort when a commanding voice ordered, "Kaidou, 100 laps for repeated disruption and provocation!" Knowing what would happen, Tezuka hurriedly looked at both rivals. "And if I see or hear any fighting, you'll both receive extra laps!"

"Mada mada dane," the first year whispered as he passed them.

"They are really having it tough nya," Kikumaru remarked to his doubles partner as their captain averted his brown eyes towards them.

"Yeah, but things are back to normal," Oishi confirmed. "I'll also join in the punishment for being a jerk yesterday."

"We did make a mess of things."

"It's up to you. I'm running, but you don't have to."

"I'll run with you since it was pretty much my fault. After all, I started the whole thing."

"We'll talk about it at lunch," the vice-captain decided as they began running. Now that his hyperactive partner was speaking to him again, he knew he could clarify his actions from the day before.

"Oishi! Kikumaru!" Tezuka interrupted. "It's all right. You don't have to join in the punishment."

"Well, we did create chaos yesterday," the mother of Seigaku replied.

"All right, but you don't have to run all 100 laps."

"Thanks!"

As they ran, the vice-captain kept an eye on Momoshiro and Kaidou. Though the rivals were not yelling or fighting, he could sense the silent competition between them. He also couldn't stop worrying about his hyperactive partner's limited stamina.

"Looks like Oishi-senpai and Kikumaru-senpai are admitting their mistakes and punishing themselves for yesterday," Katou stated as he picked up a tennis ball.

"They did have some serious dispute," Mizuno answered, placing a ball in the basket. "I really thought the club was through. Well, I'm glad that's over."

"Right, I knew Momo-chan-senpai would return and the Golden Pair wouldn't be mad at each other!" Horio boasted. "I was really scared yesterday. They were really yelling, screaming, and beating each other up. Bam!" He put out a fist.

"Horio!" a loud stoic voice startled him.

The first year looked up to realize that their captain had just overheard. "Uh oh!"

"Since you always have too much time, go spend it on 100 laps instead of bragging, gossiping, and exaggerating!" Tezuka commanded before joining the remaining regulars for practice, happy to see everyone in high spirits again. It seemed as if Momoshiro was solely responsible for endangering the Seigaku Tennis Club. His disappearance had caused worry, misery, tension, and dispute, which all vanished upon his return. Still, it wasn't totally his fault.

Practice ended when the smiling powerhouse and others had just finished their laps. Aware of Kikumaru's lack of stamina, the captain and data collector had stopped the Golden Pair from running after awhile to help with doubles combinations. Inui had brought out the ropes again, and each of the third year regulars practiced with different partners and opponents.

XXX

As the Seigaku Jr. High Tennis Club members prepared for classes, Oishi Atsuko had met Kawamura Arisu outside the sushi restaurant.

"Arisu-chan," Atsuko began as they walked to school. "Did your nii-chan mention what happened at school yesterday?"

"No, why?" Arisu, a fifth grader, asked.

"Nii-chan has been acting strangely lately, especially when he came home yesterday. He hasn't been eating much. Then I heard him talking on the phone about his tennis club falling apart, so I was wondering if your nii-chan said anything."

"No, he didn't. Besides, he was busy helping Otousan in the restaurant."

"I wonder what happened. It sounded serious."

"Geez, Oishi-senpai, you say your nii-chan worries too much, but so do you," the fifth grader pointed out. "I think it runs in your family."

"Well, I'll see you at lunch," Atsuko said after they arrived at Seigaku Elementary School.

"You too."

XXX

"Oishi!" His bouncy doubles partner jumped onto him as he entered Class 3-6 at Seigaku Jr. High.

While Fuji tried to pry his classmate and best friend off, the vice-captain nervously reminded, "Eiji, I said we would talk about it at lunch, so let's go."

Knowing that the mother of Seigaku must have spent the morning worrying about it, Kikumaru followed him down the halls. Neither half of the Golden Pair spoke until they headed behind some trees.

"Eiji…" the vice-captain began softly and shakily, "I know I already told you this morning, but I'm really sorry about yesterday. I understand you wanted to brighten up the mood, but…"

"It was cruel of me to say that about Momo," Kikumaru interrupted. "I'm sorry for making fun of his misfortune and feelings, then embarrassing and getting mad at you."

"You had the right to be angry. It was my fault as you said. I shouldn't have lost my self-control and temper. I had a bad day yesterday, and was worried about Momo. Everyone was in low spirits, and the club seemed to be falling apart. If Momo had heard what you said, then…"

"He would have been hurt. I was wrong to not think about it, then tease you instead of listening to what you had to say. It was not your fault, but mine. You had a good reason to smack me nya."

"There is no good reason for me to hit or push you," the calmer half of the Golden Pair claimed, angry at himself. "You could have slammed into something and gotten injured. Besides, we're best friends and partners. We are supposed to care about each other, and I did the opposite. I was in no position to say 'control yourself' when I was the one who didn't. What I wanted to say that time was that we shouldn't be dragging others into our own problems or taking it out on them. I know I was being hypocritic since I was the one who started taking out my frustrations on the club members. As I said, I was trying to hold the club together after a bad day..."

"Bad day?" the hyperactive acrobat echoed. He now realized that his partner felt bad for striking him.

The green-eyed boy began the story with the sleepless night and clubroom keys falling on the floor yesterday morning. He then proceeded to briefly explain his class and racket problems, the first year trio's gossip, his search for their absent teammate, and the fangirls.

"I'm sorry, Oishi," the usually cheerful boy apologized again. "It was really too much for you to handle by yourself. You are not solely responsible for the club. We each have our duties in it, and I should have helped you look for Momo, too. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you… and even made things worse."

The vice-captain noticed a tear flowing out of those blue eyes. He quickly wrapped an arm around his doubles partner and stroke the red hair as several more tears immediately followed, washing out all the hurt and guilt from the past two days.

"Eiji, I'm not sending you on a guilt trip," the mother of Seigaku said. "I really didn't enjoy mine yesterday. I just wanted to explain myself and clear things up."

"I understand," the red-haired boy replied. "Still, I should have listened to what you had to say instead of getting so upset at you."

"It's all right. What I did was wrong too, and my problems were no excuse for them. For now, we better go eat before lunchtime ends. It will be my treat." They first stopped at the faucets where the mother of Seigaku helped Kikumaru wash his face.

"Nya, Oishi, tell my about your guilt trip yesterday," the bouncy player said. As the boys walked towards the cafeteria, the vice-captain talked about crying himself to sleep, being unable to eat, the phone calls and nightmares, and his family fussing over him when he wanted to be left alone.

Kikumaru threw his arms around his doubles partner as they got in line. "Sorry for not answering your calls last night. You really are like your family, always worrying too much. You really should loosen up like me or Momo or Ochibi." He then proceeded to recount the video games and interactions with his siblings as they moved ahead in line.

XXX

Meanwhile, at one of the cafeteria tables, Horio scolded, "Echizen, why didn't you tell us that you saw Momo-chan-senpai yesterday! You really caused everyone a lot of trouble!"

Katou turned to him. "Horio!"

"What trouble?" Momoshiro questioned.

"Oh no, nothing," Echizen quickly answered.

"Just everyone was worried," Mizuno informed.

"Yeah," Katou agreed. "It's good to see you back."

"So what happened while I was gone?" the spike-haired boy inquired.

"You missed the brawl yesterday," Horio spoke up.

"Horio!" Mizuno shouted.

The Seigaku powerhouse was now curious. "Brawl?"

"If Echizen here had told us about seeing you during yesterday's lunch break, then all that excitement wouldn't have happened during afternoon practice," Horio announced.

The first year regular grabbed his belongings and stood up. "I'm leaving."

He headed for the roof as Horio continued, "Oishi-senpai was really worried, and he yelled at Kikumaru-senpai for teasing you. Then they got mad and caused an uproar." By now, he was enthusiastically pointing and gesturing. "They punched each other in the face and threw each other around the courts, and…"

Mizuno rapidly clamped a hand over his mouth as Katou exclaimed, "Horio! They didn't go that far!"

Suddenly, they heard Kawamura informing, "Hey guys, you shouldn't be talking about such things," He and Fuji had overheard the conversation a few seats away. "The problem is settled, so there's no need to talk about it anymore, and Momo doesn't need to hear about it."

"It's all right," the ex-regular said. "I asked them about all this. It's good to catch up on what happened."

"Anyways, Horio, you shouldn't exaggerate things," the player with sideburns advised. "What if Tezuka or the Golden Pair were here. You would have been in trouble."

Momoshiro and the first year trio stood up and bowed. "Sorry!"

Fuji's disclosed eyes had just fallen on two familiar figures looking for seats in the cafeteria. "Speaking of the Golden Pair, I see them over there."

"Good timing," Katou commented after Fuji and Kawamura waved goodbye. "We were lucky they didn't hear us."

"Yeah, Horio," Mizuno consented. "Next time, be careful what you say and do."

XXX

Inui had his green notebook out as he approached the clubroom to see the youngest regular walk through the door with his classmate, Horio, after school. "There is a 95 percent chance that Echizen is relieved that this is afternoon instead of morning practice, because his probability of being late would be reduced from 75 percent to 6 percent. Coming from class to practice, the chance of oversleeping and being late is 1 percent. Even if you sleep in class, there is a 100 percent chance that the sensei will wake you up, then scold or punish you. There is a ridiculous 1 percent chance that someone could leave the classroom and fall asleep somewhere else, then wake up late for practice. The probability of tardiness or absence due to school duties is 20 percent, but that doesn't count. There is also a 5 percent chance of something happening on the way to practice. Therefore, I conclude that the probability of Echizen being punished for tardiness right now is 0 percent. There is still a 5 percent chance he could be punished for something else."

However, Echizen's joy didn't last long as he was greeted by a sudden tight hug and "Ochibi!"

"Kikumaru-senpai!" he managed to gasp. "I can't breathe!"

"Sorry about dragging you into my problems and saying mean things yesterday," his hyperactive senior apologized. "I don't hate you, and you were playing seriously with a good Twist Serve."

Just then Oishi entered to drag his doubles partner off. "Eiji, you better release Echizen before you choke him to death."

"Ochibi, would you like to go with us for burgers after practice?" Kikumaru offered. "It will be my apology treat." The first year accepted and began changing into his tennis uniform as the Golden Pair's attention shifted to Momoshiro's arrival.

The acrobat wrapped his arms around the second year. "Momo, I hope you can join us for burgers after practice. It will be my treat nya."

"Us?" the powerhouse repeated. "You and Echizen?"

"And Oishi."

"Of course! I can't wait to get my hands on all those burgers and drinks!"

The red-haired player then placed an arm around Momoshiro's rival as he entered. "Kaidou, sorry about what I said yesterday. Your Boomerang Snake was good. You'll soon master it."

"Che…" the snake player scoffed.

"As an apology treat, would you like to join us for burgers after practice?"

"I can't, Senpai. I have training. Fshuuu…" Then he added in his mind, '...and I'm not hanging out with that idiot Momo.'

After all members entered the tennis courts, the vice-captain was shaky and at a loss of words, so his doubles partner began, "Everyone, we would like to apologize for our behavior yesterday."

Oishi now found the words. "We know the problems have been settled, but we still owe everyone an explanation. I apologize for being such a jerk because I was worried and having a bad day."

"And I was trying to brighten up the mood since everyone seemed down, but it came out wrong. That's what Oishi here was trying to tell me, but I refused to listen, then got angry. I'm sorry too."

"For the past few days, our tennis club seemed to be falling apart. We are all responsible for the well-being of the club, and taking Seigaku to the Nationals, so let's work together."

"I hope you'll forgive us."

Everyone nodded and chorused, "Yes!" as the vice-captain thanked his partner for the difficult job of starting their speech.

Following his seniors' example, Momoshiro stepped up. "I also owe everyone an apology and explanation. I'm sorry for disappearing without a reason and causing so much worry and chaos. I was really upset after losing my regulars position and wanted to be left alone. Now, thanks to some friends…" He glanced at Echizen, then outside Seigaku. "…I discovered that I still have a lot of training to do, and that we must not judge our opponents by appearance or lose our Challenge Spirit! I hope you'll forgive me, too."

The club cheered, "Yes! Seigaku! Fight!"

"All right everyone, practice time!" Tezuka announced. "Don't let your guard down!"

While then, Inui had thought, 'There is a 70 percent chance that the Golden Pair must have talked things over some time after morning practice. The chance of them and Momoshiro giving apology speeches was 60 percent, and the probability of Oishi getting nervous and Kikumaru speaking was 85 percent. As for Momoshiro saying "some friends," chance of him referring to Echizen and Tachibana An, 100 percent, and chance of him including Hyotei, 50 percent.'

_To be continued…_

* * *

**A/N**:

Translations based on subtitles:  
_Okaasan_ – mother  
_Otousan_ - father  
_Nii-chan _- older brother  
_Senpai_ – senior  
_Sensei_ – teacher, coach  
_Nya_ – a cat sound Kikumaru occasionally adds to his sentences  
_Buchou_ – captain  
_Ochibi_ – baby boy, kiddo, or little one (Kikumaru's nickname for Echizen)  
_Kun_ – honorific for boys  
_Chan_ – honorific for girls or children  
_San_ – general honorific, can be translated to Mr., Mrs., Miss, or Ms.  
_Mada mada dane_ – "no, not yet" or "you still have a ways to go"  
_Fshuuu…_ - Kaidou's favorite hissing sound, earning him the nicknames of "Snake" and "Mamushi"

I apologize if I bored you with the longest chapter so far. I guess the length was a result of extending morning practice and bringing in families. Knowing that some of you like to see Captain Tezuka assign laps, I made the morning practice scene longer to give him more opportunities for it. Then, I wanted to bring in more character, especially family, interaction and background.

Internet profiles mention that Kawamura has a younger sister, though she and their mother never appear in the anime, manga, or fanfictions I've read. That is why I'm bringing them into my stories. According to internet sources, Kawamura's first or given name, _Takashi_, means filial piety or noble, so I imagined his parents to name both children something noble.

Kawamura's younger sister: _Arisu_ (noble sort), 10  
Oishi's younger sister: _Atsuko_ (kind, warm, or industrious child), 11

We now come across more indirect ranking results. Momoshiro's absence has even affected those outside Seigaku. Oishi's worrying and guilt trip have made his family concerned. Kawamura's family did not know about the problem, but being a worrier like her brother, Oishi Atsuko unintentionally dragged her friend, Kawamura Arisu, into it. Echizen's trying to challenge Captain Atobe Keigo and An's playing street tennis with Momoshiro made him realize some important things, and got him back to his usual self. He then shared the important things with the club though his absence resulted in 100 laps for himself and indirectly for Kaidou and Horio. The Golden Pair's reconciliation allowed them to talk things over and understand each other better. They and Momoshiro were then able to increase the club spirit.


	5. Chapter 5

**Seigaku Ranking Results**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Prince of Tennis_. If I did, the ending would be happier, and more complete and informative.

**A/N**:  
Beware of SPOILERS for Episode 54-61 and Genius 118-120, and possibly OVA Episode 26 and Genius 379.

This chapter ended up being almost all dialogue.

NO FLAMING allowed!

* * *

Chapter 5

Practice went well with everyone training hard in high spirits. For once, the two second year rivals did not fight, and Captain Tezuka did not have to hand out punishments. Oishi smiled as he locked the clubroom and left for burgers with Kikumaru, Momoshiro, and Echizen. They had made sure that Inui was gathering data on Kaidou's training instead of their conversations.

The red-haired player wrapped an arm around his junior. "We're glad you're back, Momo. Don't ever disappear like that again! It was really quiet and lonely without you nya."

"With Echizen looking for me and Oishi-senpai calling me yesterday, I had a feeling that something happened, and I was right," Momoshiro responded. "I'm really sorry."

"So you found out what happened?" the vice-captain asked.

"I have a good idea of it."

"Did that bigmouth blab it to you?" the hyperactive player questioned. "We saw you eating lunch with him."

"Yeah, they told me about you…" Momoshiro glanced at Kikumaru "…teasing me, and then you both…" he looked at the Golden Pair "…getting into a fight. What you said at practice confirmed it as well."

"Sorry for teasing you, Momo," the red-haired boy apologized, then placed his other arm around Seigaku's youngest regular. "Nya Ochibi, you were actually worried, too."

"That's right, or he wouldn't have searched for me yesterday," Momoshiro concurred.

"I told you I wasn't worried!" the first year contradicted. "I was just sleeping on the roof, and then happened to pass by the street tennis courts later."

"You should have at least told us about seeing Momo during lunch yesterday," Kikumaru protested and released the two juniors.

"That's right, Echizen," the green-eyed teen confirmed. "Next time you have possibly helpful information, please share it. You should care more about others."

The youngest regular just pulled down the brim of his white cap. "Mada mada dane."

"Echizen, it's all right to admit your concerns," Oishi assured. "With Momo not being himself for so long, everyone would have been worried." He turned to the powerhouse. "Next time you plan to miss practice, let us know ahead of time, and tell us why… though this time we could guess why."

The four were interrupted by "Hi, how's it going?" outside the burger place.

"Fine," Momoshiro answered the Gyokurin pair. "Sorry about yesterday. I wasn't in a good mood."

"Don't worry about it," Izumi replied.

Fukawa looked at the Seigaku players. "Do you all want to have a game later?"

The second year shook his head. "Not today. Maybe next week." His teammates nodded.

"Well, good luck in the Kantou Tournament," Izumi wished as they waved goodbye and left.

A-Hamburgers was crowded since it was Friday. The four Seigaku students waved to players from Fudomine, Yamabuki, and other rival schools as they approached the end of the line.

Suddenly, a familiar voice piped up, "Why, it's the monster that dunks people out dane!"

Momoshiro turned to the duck-faced player behind them. "I told you that I didn't mean to hit you! Look, I'm really sorry about that." He then directed his gaze at the three St. Rudolph regulars. "How are Akazawa-san and Kaneda doing?"

"We rushed them to the hospital afterwards," Nomura reported. "Kaneda suffered a fractured clavicle and bruise on the right shoulder while Buchou was diagnosed with a fractured skull and concussion."

"Buchou kept having headaches and dizzy spells dane," Yanagisawa stated.

"What nya!" Kikumaru exclaimed. "Momo took out those two! Way to go! Then you weren't slacking off!"

"Eiji, that's not very nice," his doubles partner scolded and looked at both mischievous boys.

"But they were mean to us during our match, and Momo avenged us."

"Still, it's not right to injure other players. Momo, you should have apologized right away and paid for their hospital bill." The green eyes then shifted to the St. Rudolph players. "I apologize for my teammates' behaviors."

"Yeah, sorry about that," the dunk smash player apologized again. "Don't blame my teammates. They had nothing to do with it. I was not in a good mood, and was also seeking revenge for my senpais during the prefecturals. Besides, I was aiming at the spots next to your teammates, not on them. How much was the bill? I'll go pay and visit them later."

"You won't be able to," Kisarazu Atsushi, Yanagisawa's doubles partner, explained. "Kaneda left the hospital a few hours later, and Buchou was released this morning. They are healing and recovering pretty quickly though they won't be able to play tennis for awhile."

"No need to pay either," Nomura claimed. "We knew it was an accident, and these things happen. I know our buchou can be rude and condescending, but he actually does care about the team."

"Well, tell them I'm sorry for what I said and did," Momoshiro said.

"Tell them that Seigaku apologizes," Oishi added.

"We will," Kisarazu assured.

A few minutes later, the Golden Pair and their juniors sat down, and Momoshiro's tray was full of burgers as usual. The vice-captain did not order much since he wasn't comfortable using other people's money, and burgers weren't his favorite.

_During lunch, Kikumaru had offered, "Oishi, it's my turn to treat you after practice nya. How about we go for burgers?"_

_That had surprised the other half of the Golden Pair. "Burgers? Wouldn't that be for Momo and Echizen?"_

"_That's the point! Momo has to come, and I hope Ochibi and Kaidou will join us, too."_

"_Oh! I see what you are up to. In that case, I'll come along, but you really don't need to treat me."_

"_I still owe you for yesterday."_

"_All right, but I'm thinking of treating Momo as well," the mother of Seigaku gave in as he handed some money to his doubles partner. "Besides, you'll need this if you're treating him and Echizen, and Kaidou might not join us."_

"_I know, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. I at least want to apologize to him."_

"_Actually, we owe an apology to the whole club."_

"_Right nya!"_

Now, the acrobat was relieved for the extra money from his doubles partner earlier as he broke the silence. "Momo, I'm sorry for calling you a slacker. You really weren't slacking off if you were playing tennis though it wasn't at Seigaku."

"It's all right," Momoshiro replied. "I did deserve it for losing my regulars position and causing so much chaos."

"No, you only made everyone worry. It was my fault for starting the fight nya."

"Actually, it was my fault for contributing to the mess." Green eyes met purple eyes. "As I was about to say earlier, everyone loses at times. I know you tried your best, but you just had bad luck this time, being placed with two other strong regulars. I was lucky that I only had Echizen to worry about, and…"

The first year smirked. "Mada mada dane."

"And the only regular I had to face was Fujiko," Kikumaru finished.

"Still that stupid mamushi won against Inui-senpai in April, but I lost to him this time. This means I lost to that baka mamushi."

"But Kaidou lost to Inui three times before that," his hyperactive senior reminded.

"That's right, Kaidou has had more experience playing against Inui," the other half of the Golden Pair agreed. "After losing three times, he trained more so there wouldn't be a fourth time. Besides, just because you lost to someone who lost to Kaidou does not mean you lost to him."

"If you recall, most of us lost our regulars position at times last year. Not being dropped from the regulars is possible only for Tezuka, Fujiko, and Ochibi."

The first year pulled down the brim of his cap as Oishi recounted, "Furthermore, Inui was the Number 3 player in Seigaku, and kept his regulars position for six months straight. Then he lost it to two kouhais. Something like would be a devastating experience..."

"But did he just feel sorry for himself, and miss practice?" Echizen interrupted.

His best friend looked up from his burger. "No, he became the team's manager and helped us. He even trained harder and continued to gather data so he could win his regulars spot back and help Seigaku reach the Nationals. However, I'm not the manager, so I can't do anything for the club."

"You are still part of the tennis club," the mother of Seigaku emphasized.

"What do you think caused our senpais to fight yesterday?" the youngest regular asked.

"That's right," Kikumaru answered. "Everyone has been in low spirits and the club seemed to be falling apart. That really caused Oishi to worry." He draped an arm around his doubles partner.

"Above all, why do you think everyone was so down when you didn't show up?" Oishi inquired.

The ex-regular went quiet for awhile, then answered, "I didn't realize I was that important to the club."

"But you are," his red-haired senior spoke up. "Even though you did not make it this time, you'll always be a regular to us."

"That's right," the vice-captain confirmed. "You are a part of Seigaku. Your friendliness and cheerfulness raise the team bonds and spirit, which is why you could possibly be the buchou next year. That means being a responsible and good model, which includes attending club activities."

The spike-haired boy looked surprised. "Me as buchou next year?"

"You and Kaidou are the only possibilities since after we graduate, you will be the only experienced third years left in the Seigaku Tennis Club. Kaidou is very self-disciplined, training more than required, but if he doesn't learn to be less rude, impatient, arrogant, or antisocial by the end of the year he would not make a good buchou."

"Momo-buchou sounds great nya!" the other half of the Golden Pair exclaimed.

"I'm not so sure about that," his junior mumbled. While he dreaded the many burdens and responsibilities of the position, he also didn't like the idea of his rival being above him.

"Mada mada dane, Momo-senpai," Echizen scoffed.

"Hey, learn to respect your senpai!" Momoshiro snapped back.

"Yeah, be nice, Ochibi!" the blue-eyed acrobat chided.

"All right," the mother of Seigaku intervened. "Echizen, please learn to be more polite and respectful." He looked at the spike-haired boy. "We still have a few months before deciding on the next buchou, so you don't have to think about it right now. For now, our task is the Kantou Tournament. Even if you do not know as much as Inui, there are ways you could support the team."

Kikumaru scowled. "You don't need to make those horrible juices! We are better off without them."

"Interacting with others and increasing the team spirit is one way to help us. Another way is to gather and share information on our rivals. That doesn't require you to be a genius. I think Inui could use some help in data collection since he will also be busy training for tournaments as a regular."

"Someone as outgoing as you could easily talk to others, even rivals. You might even gather good information from your conversations."

The ex-regular stood up and bowed. "Thanks Senpais!"

"No problem," the vice-captain assured. "We're here for you. We're a team, so we help one another. Don't hesitate to come to us."

"And that's coming from someone who tried to handle all the club problems alone?" the red-haired boy reminded.

"That's right!" his partner-in-crime agreed. "Weren't you trying to handle everything by yourself?"

"Yeah, but…" the green-eyed teenager stammered.

"You should have at least asked me for help," his doubles partner suggested.

"Umm.."

"I see why you didn't." Kikumaru wrapped his arms around the mother of Seigaku. "Sorry I'm always the one talking and never listening. I hope you'll share your problems with me from now on."

"All right, but I don't want you to feel bad about all this."

"The same goes for you."

The conversation shifted to possible rivals for the Kantou Tournament. Momoshiro recounted his games against Yamabuki three days ago as well as yesterday's encounter with Hyotei.

"It looks like Akutsu's departure has weakened Yamabuki," Oishi said. "However, they are definitely training hard to improve. Besides, they still have Sengoku and their strong doubles."

"Hyotei will be tougher than last year nya," Kikumaru complained. "Momo, who was that doubles player you said was very light?"

"I don't remember his name," the Seigaku powerhouse answered. "All I remember is round magenta hair that covers his ears. He looks feminine, and can flip and jump high and far. He and his partner are snobs."

"It sounds like he is trying to show off, thinking that his acrobatics are better than mine!"

The green-eyed boy quickly soothed his doubles partner. "Eiji, don't let it bother you. We don't know enough yet." He directed his gaze to his younger teammates across the table. "How about their buchou?"

"That guy is so full of himself," the second year grumbled. "He insulted and made fun of us, then ran away with the others."

"That cowardly Monkey King," the first year added.

"We can't let personal issues get in the way of our matches," the mother of Seigaku said. "The important thing is trying our best and reaching the Nationals." They all nodded. "Shall we get going?"

All four stood up, cleared their tables, and exited A-Hamburgers. The Golden Pair parted ways with Momoshiro and Echizen, and Kikumaru accompanied Oishi to his house before heading home.

Soon after the youngest regular and his best friend crossed a bridge, they heard a familiar female voice, "Karupin! Karupin!"

Echizen looked up. "Nee-chan?"

"Oh, Ryoma-kun!" his cousin, Meino Nanako, greeted. "Karupin ran out of the house, so I'm looking for him."

"You're cat again?" Momoshiro asked. The first year nodded as they began searching.

Suddenly, they heard, "Nya," and some rustling from some bushes.

The relieved Echizen scooped up the white Himalayan cat. "Karupin! There you are!"

"Karupin dirtied himself playing outside, so I decided to wash him," his cousin reported. "He definitely wasn't happy about it, because he dashed out of the house, and I had to chase after him." The first year stroke Karupin's fur as Nanako and Momoshiro chatted on the way to the Echizen household.

"Nice talking to you again," the college student said.

"You too," the second year returned. "Bye!"

XXX

Meanwhile, Kaidou Hazue pointed out, "Nii-chan looks happy," as Kaoru stepped through the front door and headed upstairs, smiling.

"Yeah, he sure is in a good mood," Mr. Kaidou agreed, looking up from his newspaper.

"He is probably happy with his training today," his wife guessed, "or he got to play with a passing dog or cat again."

Hazue's older brother had been trying to master his Boomerang Snake by the river when the familiar white Himalayan cat appeared and snuggled up against his legs. In response, the second year had crouched down to pet him. Next, he had grabbed a cat-tail, unaware of his senior's presence nearby. After a few minutes of playing, the cat had taken off. It had been getting dark, so the snake shot player had decided to jog home for dinner.

While then, Inui had noted, "Though Kaidou acts tough, there is a 100 percent chance he has a soft spot for animals." Puzzled stares appeared on drivers, passengers, and pedestrians as the bespectacled data player passed them, flipping pages and scribbling notes without colliding into people, buildings, trees, and vehicles.

As he placed his notebook on the dinner table and sat down, his mother informed, "We started dinner about 10 minutes ago… well 11 minutes and 3 seconds ago to be exact. Busy with tennis club activities?"

"Yeah," Inui answered as he picked up his chopsticks.

"I remember you just had ranking tournaments again," Mr. Inui recalled. "Did you make it back as a regular?" His only child nodded as he scanned the table laid with plates of healthy food and a teapot. "As a regular and manager, you now have to work twice as hard."

"Actually, I will have to put in 250 percent more effort because the Kantou Tournament will be harder than the prefecturals," Sadaharu stated.

"You shouldn't do so much," Mrs. Inui advised. "How about giving your team a break from those juices?"

"You know healthy foods and drinks are not delicious, but they are good for us in the long run. For example, you still prepare nutritious meals with 0 to 3 percent unhealthy sauces or seasonings. They may taste bland, but we are tolerating them for health. It's the same way with those juices."

"At least my cooking is just plain, not disgusting. Your juices can't be compared to other food and drinks. To tell the truth, I think they do more harm than good. I don't think juices of revolting taste are any healthier than tasteless ones. Besides, if they cause fainting, then they are health hazards."

"They have 0 percent toxicity. People faint only because they can't stand the taste. They are quickly back on their feet and all right again. The juices also motivate the team to practice and work 50 percent harder, so 0 percent harm done."

"Well, just be careful and make sure you don't get into trouble with them," Mr. Inui pointed out. "At least try not to spend so much time and money on spying, data, or juices. It's not healthy."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," the Seigaku manager assured, quickly scribbling more data on his parents.

"All right, if you say so."

The family finished eating in silence. After placing his dishes in the sink, Sadaharu headed for his room to do his homework, analyze more data, and work on juices for tomorrow's practice.

XXX

It had been a busy evening at Kawamura Sushi, with many customers starting to enjoy their weekend. Takashi and Arisu helped with the tables while their parents were preoccupied at the sushi bar and kitchen. When they were later excused upstairs to continue their homework, the fifth grader grabbed her source of courage and confidence in the form of a tennis racket and tiptoed to her older brother's room.

"Hi Arisu," Takashi greeted. "What is it?"

"Nii-chan, is something wrong with your school's tennis club?"

"Not really… why?"

"Today, Oishi-senpai was worried about her nii-chan not being himself lately. She said that she heard him talking on the phone about your tennis club falling apart."

"Come on, Arisu, you know the Oishis worry a lot… We have just been busy and stressed with the school ranking tournament, and now we have to prepare for the Kantou Tournament, just as you have to do at your school."

"We're always preparing for tournaments in tennis clubs, so I don't see why it should be any different this time."

"Um… because the Kantou Tournament will be harder… with tougher players."

Still doubtful, Arisu grabbed a tennis racket from her brother's bag and handed it to its owner. "Here, Nii-chan, the racket. Now tell me what happened."

Takashi's right hand gripped the handle and began waving the racket back and forth. "BURNING! Momo was depressed about being dropped from the regulars, so he didn't show up for a few days! Everyone was unhappy, and Oishi was so worried and in a bad mood that the Golden Pair got into a fight and broke up!"

"So Oishi-senpai was right! This is serious!" the fifth grader concluded still clutching her racket. Though holding a racket gave her more courage and determination, she did not go into the wild burning mode as her brother did.

"Serious indeed! A big crisis!" He dropped his right arm and the racket slipped to the floor as he loosened the grip. "It's all right now. Momo returned this morning, and the Golden Pair has settled their dispute, so everyone is happy again."

"What a relief!"

"Now, let's get back to our homework before Okaasan and Oyaji catch us fooling around."

XXX

That night, Fuji Yumiko called to her younger brother, "Syusuke!"

"Tarot readings again, Nee-chan?" the genius asked as he ended the phone call with their younger brother, Yuuta, a second year regular at St. Rudolph.

Yumiko smiled as she shuffled the deck of tarot cards. "Right, I would like to do another one tonight since the readings of your past two days were not too good."

Syusuke continued to smile. "Well, they were accurate as usual. We had problems, low spirits, and conflict at school, which were eventually settled as you predicted."

His sister drew a few cards and placed them face down on the kitchen table. "If that is the case, we should have better readings tonight." After a few minutes of more shuffling, drawing, and flipping over cards, she announced, "Though you seemed to have settled your problems at school, they are not over yet."

_To be continued…_

* * *

**A/N**:

Translations based on subtitles:  
_Okaasan_ – mother  
_Otousan_ – father  
_Nii-chan _- older brother  
_Nee-chan_ – older sister or older female cousin  
_Oyaji_ – another way of saying "father," translates to "old man"  
_Senpai_ – senior  
_Kouhai_ - junior  
_Mamushi_ – _Gloydius blomhoffii_ (mamushi or Japanese mamushi) is a species of vipers commonly found in Japan.  
_Nya_ – a cat sound Kikumaru occasionally adds to his sentences  
_Buchou_ – captain  
_Ochibi_ – baby boy, kiddo, or little one  
_San_ – general honorific, can be translated to Mr., Mrs., Miss, or Ms.  
_Mada mada dane_ – "no, not yet" or "you still have a ways to go"

I know this story seems to be all about Momoshiro and the Golden Pair. I've tried to prevent that by including POVs of other regulars wherever I can, but Momoshiro and the Golden Pair still seem to dominate the plot.

More indirect ranking results have taken place, mostly due to Momoshiro's three-day absence. Oishi Atsuko's concerns have now led Kawamura Arisu to know the whole story. While then, Echizen and the Golden Pair learn more about rival schools from the information Momoshiro gathered at street tennis. As Fuji Yumiko predicted, it's not the end of the indirect ranking results.


End file.
